Historic East Aurora Hockey Game In Jeopardy? | News

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EAST AURORA, N.Y. - The rink made history once, but it may not have a chance to do it a second time.

The same rink that hosted the 2008 NHL Winter Classic game at Ralph Wilson stadium is now at an outdoor pavilion in East Aurora.

Aurora Ice Association, the youth hockey not-for-profit group which owns the historic rink, is planning to host a 25-hour hockey game next month to raise money for the community rink, which is self-financed. Organizers said the marathon game would be the first ever 25-hour-game in the United States.

The rink sits a few hundred yards away from a small neighborhood, where reaction to news of the planned marathon game, and the noise it could cause through the night, isn't all positive.

One vocal homeowner, William Hanavan, is trying to stop the game. Hanavan declined to speak to us on camera.

The village mayor also has publicly threatened to do stop the game.

Hanavan's neighbors have mixed feelings.

"We generally don't hear it, but when it gets rambunctious, especially in the winter time with no leaves, you do hear it," said Ewan Choroszylow, who supports Hanavan's effort to stop the game.

"It does get loud sometimes, but I think for a lot of the people in the town, it's worth it," said neighbor Jacob Roesch.

REPORTER: Can you sympathize with them, it's one thing to play hockey into the evening, but to have the pucks banging off the boards in the middle of the night?

DiFILIPPO: The vast, vast majority embrace this rink, they love this rink. The want to see the rink succeed. They want to see the rink used as much as it could possibly be. We're asking for one special occasion.

DiFilippo, who's a lawyer, said the village legally cannot stop the game because the rink's permit has no restrictions. Barring something drastic, he said the plan to make history again on this rink won't be put on ice.

We were unable to reach the village mayor to find out if he still intends to try to stop the event. DiFilippo said it's possible East Aurora Police could write the organization a noise citation, but hopes it won't come to that.